My Captor or My Savior
by Saren-Dipety
Summary: An AU where Zuko finds Katara half-dead and unconscious near the Southern Water tribe. He takes her in and cares for her until she awakens, terrified and confused and being held as a prisoner on board a fire nation ship. Zuko can't help himself as he begins to fall for the water tribe girl. Meanwhile Sokka is on his way to find his lost sister and murder her captor.
1. Introduction

**Hello! Thanks for checking out my story!**

 **WARNING: There may be possible mention of mature content in later chapters, and if so I will change the ratings and also add a warning at the beginning of any chapters with that content. But it will NEVER be detailed and only hinted/lightly touched on.**

 **HELP ME HELP YOU!: I always appreciate constructive feedback on any mistakes I made or on how I could improve my writing. Also if you have any ideas be sure to let me know in the comments!**

 **Thanks again for reading!**

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"You call that left?" Katara asked, annoyed as she brushed snow off her jacket. They had just narrowly escaped the rapids, but Sokka had successfully crashed their canoe and they were now stranded on a small ice floe.

"You don't like my steering; well maybe you should have water bended us out of the ice!" Sokka retorted, making exaggerated bending motions.

"So it's my fault?" Katara said, standing up quickly and looking down at her brother.

"I knew I should have left you at home! Leave it to a girl to screw things up!" Sokka muttered.

"You are the most sexist, immature, nut brained… I'm embarrassed to be related to you!" Katara yelled, her anger was channeling straight into her bending, causing her to start unknowingly thrashing the water around. A huge crack formed in the iceberg that was behind her as she pointed harshly at Sokka.

"Ever since mom died I've done all the work around camp, while you've been out playing soldier!" The ice cracked some more.

"Katara," Sokka tried to bring her attention to the fracturing structure.

"I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, not pleasant!" Another throw of her arms meant even bigger cracks.

"Katara! Settle down!" Sokka said urgently, motioning at the gigantic berg behind her.

"No! That's it! I'm done helping you! From now on you're on your own!" One final throw of her arms sent the cracks all the way to the top, a grinding sound like a thousand boulders shifting against each other came before the iceberg split in two, both pieces falling heavily into the ocean, creating tsunami like waves. One of the waves caught their small floe, carrying it up until it was nearly sideways. Sokka threw one arm around Katara and the other gripped the edge of their chunk of ice. The white cap on the wave broke and icy water thundered over their heads, soaking through their thick wool coats, making them heavy and sodden. Sokka could feel Katara slipping from his grasp; he couldn't see her, his eyes were screwed tight against the salt and the cold. He tried to readjust and grab her again but he was only groping at the cold ice.

"Katara!" He choked on a mouthful of salt water, the liquid burning his throat and lungs as he coughed it out. Faintly he thought he heard Katara screaming his name but he wasn't sure. Finally the wave passed and the floe settled back into the water, smaller waves lapping at the edges. Sokka wiped his woolen mitten across his face, pushing himself up so he was kneeling.

"Katara!" He screamed again, searching desperately with his eyes, combing the water for her brown head. He threw off his jacket and tossed it to the center of the floe, running to the edge and diving into the water. The icy water closed around him and he opened his eyes, ignoring the burning sensation. He couldn't see anything it was so dark. When he had no more air he kicked to the surface grabbing onto his floe again and taking deep breaths of the salty air before diving back in again. He searched for several minutes, coming in and out. Eventually he was so tired that he hauled himself back up and onto the floe, feeling hopeless and terrified. He would probably die from the cold and his wet clothes. But what did it matter if Katara was already dead? At least he would have died trying to save her.

After a few moments, he decided that he would try one last time. He dove into the water, but when he opened his eyes he was surprised to see a large glowing iceberg rising up towards him from deep in the water. It was directly beneath him and ended up carrying him above the water and making him slide down onto a flat area from the top of the rounded frozen bubble. When he looked up, he could see the faint outline of a boy, sitting in the iceberg and a light was around him. No, the light was coming from him. However Sokka hardly registered that, because he could hardly see through the tears that were welling in his eyes after seeing Katara's dark blue coat hanging from a spike on the iceberg

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 **Thanks for reading! I would love to hear feedback.**

 **I'm planning on getting about a chapter done a week as a part of my "school work", so updates should be regular. All the chapters after this one will be much longer, and hopefully much better. And by the way, I may be changing the story title at some point, but I will let all you guys know!**

 **Hope to see you around!**


	2. Important Author's Note!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hello everyone! Sorry for the long wait! **I am currently in the process of participating in NANOWRIMO which goes through the end of November.** _(Its a challenge to complete a 50,000 word novel over the course of November)_.

I promise you **I am still working on this story** and I will update when Nanowrimo is over, but my first priority is to my original novel that I hope to publish by the end of next year. Thank you all for understanding, and **there is a possibility I will update My Captor or My Savior during November** , and that's hoping.

Thanks all and have a great day!


	3. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone and welcome back! Sorry about the wait, December was busy, what with Christmas and all. I'm proud to say I completed my novel, although now comes the arduous task of trying to edit...**

 **Anyway, here is the official chapter one! Enjoy.**

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"Sokka!" Katara screamed as the rushing water cascaded over her head and pulled her forcefully from the ice floe and her brother's arms. The freezing ocean water closed over her head; feeling like a million needles poking her skin. She had only swam once in her life; and even that had been in essentially a large tub not the vast expanse of the sea. All of the children in the tribe were taught the basics of how to swim in case of emergency, but that had been years ago. All she knew was if she was going to stay afloat she needed to rid herself of her heavy clothing. The thick wool coat and trousers that she had been glad for earlier were now dragging her down, keeping her from surfacing to get a breath. With numb fingers Katara pushed at the seal-tooth buttons on her jacket, each one popping loose with agonizing slowness. Finally the last button came free from the heavy material and she shoved it off her arms. She kicked violently to keep herself from sinking deeper. She quickly pushed off her trousers, leaving her only in a light shirt and leggings. Lungs burning she kicked to the surface, natural instinct taking over where she knew nothing. She broke from the water and gasped in a mouthful of air and water. Coughing violently she searched for Sokka but all she could see was his coat and his spear on a floe over a dozen yards away. The giant wave had pushed her farther than she had thought. Her body was so cold and her legs were beginning to cramp and become numb.

"Sokka." She mumbled, her lips too cold to move. She began to try and kick towards the floe but the current here was strong. She doubted even an experienced swimmer could have fought it. She tried to water bend but without her strength she could hardly move, much less muster up the focus to contort the water to her will. Even if she had the strength she lacked the knowledge of bending to ever accomplish such a feat. Her heart was beating fast, trying to keep her blood flowing, however she could feel her legs were no longer moving and her arms thrashed at the water feebly to keep herself afloat. The current caught her up and pulled her limp body away. She sank slowly beneath the surface of the water, taking one last breath of the salty ocean air.

She knew she was going to die. She didn't even know if Sokka was alive, she hoped he was. She hoped he would live a long life and not grieve too long for her. She wondered what his children would look like, if they would look like him or the beautiful girl he took for a bride. That thought brought a small smile to her lips. She had always thought in her moment of death she would see her whole life pass before her eyes. Of course she had never thought she would die at fourteen, she had not even become a woman yet by her people's terms; she had not had her first cycle of blood. However instead of seeing her life, she was seeing what she hoped would be her brother's future. Soon though the smile faded as her mind shut down and her eyelids, screwed shut against the cold, softened into a look like sleep.

…

Zuko stood at the helm of his ship where he had been standing for hours, just looking out over the vast ocean with chunks of ice that his ship crushed like ants. He hated this place. He hated the cold and longed for the hot, humid climate of his homeland. However, he had no where else to look for the avatar. He and his crew had searched all the Air Temples and searched almost everywhere else, listening and watching for any sign of the powerful bender. They had not heard word of the avatar anywhere. Zuko was growing frustrated. When he had proposed the idea of searching the Southern Water Tribe and its surrounding waters again his uncle Iroh had complied with his demands complacently, not believing anything would come of the detour. But Zuko remained steadfast in his search and hardly left the front of the ship. He would eat meals on the front deck, he only slept for a few hours in the darkest parts of the night where he could not see, and he never took a break to relax or do something of enjoyment. His whole being was set on this goal of finding the avatar and restoring his destiny.

Zuko's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the heavy metal door, leading down into the ships hold, open with a drawn out creak. He already knew it was his uncle, probably just waking up now, hours after dawn, the heavy footsteps of the overweight man gave it away. He mentally sighed in disgust. His uncle had grown fat and lazy ever since they started this journey, well actually ever since his son had died. Zuko had missed Luo Ten, but ever since his banishment he had no time for such feelings. For three years he had searched the world, never once even letting the thought of giving up enter his mind. This was his redemption, his way to the throne, his way to his birthright as prince of the fire nation. Distractions like personal feelings would only get in the way of that.

His uncle came up beside him, standing quietly for several minutes before speaking.

"Have you eaten yet nephew? I would like to dine with you." Iroh suggested hopefully, also looking out over the ocean, the water sparkling painfully in the noon day sun.

"I already ate." Zuko answered gruffly.

"Very well, I shall eat alone." Iroh answered, turning around and walking with a casual step. Just as the old man opened the door to make his way to the kitchens, a guard who was stationed on the port side of the ship ran around the corner and came to an abrupt stop a few feet away from Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, there is a girl in the water on our port side." The guard said quickly.

Zuko turned to face the man and raised his one eyebrow.

"Show me."

Zuko gave the order for the helmsman to stop, and he could feel the ship grind to a halt. The engine cut off and left the world deathly silent as the guard led him to where he had spotted the girl. All that could be heard was the hurried steps of metal shod feet on the cold iron deck. The guard lifted an arm and pointed to a small dark shape out in the water. At first glance it looked like a young tiger seal lounging on an ice floe. Zuko grabbed his telescope from inside a pocket in his armor. He extended the brass object and it made a few small clicks as it formed into its pole-like shape. Zuko brought the telescope up to his good eye and adjusted it until he could see clearly. When the world came into focus he could make out that it was a girl, like the guard had claimed. She had dark skin, like the color of his uncle's tea. Long, frozen hair was plastered to her lifeless face. From this distance it seemed she was wearing nothing. Zuko's eyes narrowed, there was no way she was still alive.

Zuko felt his uncle's presence by his side and he took the telescope away from his eye to hand it to the older man. Zuko moved, ready to return to the front of the ship to continue looking for the avatar but Iroh's deep rumbling voice stopped him in his tracks.

"She may still be alive, we must help her, Nephew." His voice seemed to drawl, antagonizing Zuko for having such little compassion for some one that was surely dead.

Zuko mentally screamed, but outwardly he only turned slightly to reply. "Let's go get her then." He snapped. His uncle would never have let him just leave her there, and giving in quickly would mean they could move on quickly.

Iroh sent a disapproving look towards the boy's retreating form and then proceeded to give the orders to the guard to tell the helmsman of their detour.

It would take a while to circle back around to reach the girl so Zuko returned to the helm to keep watching for signs of the avatar, not wishing to somehow miss anything. Besides, a small crowd had gathered now where the girl had been spotted and they were pushing and shoving to get access to one of the few telescopes on board to get their own view of the water tribe woman. Zuko didn't like crowds, so it was a relief when he finally made it to his place, no one would disturb him for a while now.

...

He leaned his forearms against the freezing iron railing that surrounded the ship, hearing the puffing of the engine start up once more. He realized how thankful he was for the thick coat underneath his armor, but unfortunately for him that brought up thoughts of the girl in the water, whom he was trying to forget about. But despite his mind telling him to stop, he began wondering about the woman. He wondered how she had ended up in the water, from what he had heard the ice here was thicker than three men on end in some places, so she couldn't have fallen through. He also knew water tribe people were careful around thin ice and open water so something must have happened. He figured she was probably dead, although there was no way to tell how long she had been out there just by telescope. Besides they were far from the main Southern water tribe settlement, so how did she get out here?

His thoughts were interrupted once again as he felt the ship begin to swing towards where the girl lay on the floe. They would reach her within a quarter of the hour. He didn't know whether he hoped the girl was dead or alive. If she was dead they would have to dispose of the body again and he had no desire to see a frostbitten corpse, or any corpse for that matter. However if she was alive his uncle would never approve of putting the girl back in the water, which would mean they would keep the girl on the ship and care for her until either she died or was healthy again. Then if she did, by some miracle, happen to survive, they would have to take her back to her village somewhere far off the course they had set, and he had no time for that if he wanted to return to his country before he turned eighteen in two years.

A blindingly bright light suddenly shot into the sky several miles from the ship. It was so bright that the rest of the world seemed to darken in comparison. Zuko shielded his eyes, no reason to go blind so young, but he kept his head turned towards the source of the light. There was only one thing he knew capable of such immense power, well not one thing; one person. The Avatar. The light receded within seconds and Zuko looked out over the sea for any sign of movement. But there was none. The young man raced to the group of people, some of which had fallen to their knees in shock of the white light. Zuko searched for his uncle and finally located him to one side. Shoving through people who were hastily trying to move out of his way he skidded to a halt before the plump man.

"Uncle, did you see that light? We must change course! There is nothing that could have made such a bright light but the avatar!"

Iroh shook his head slowly. "Nephew, do not get your hopes up, it may have just been the spirits."

Zuko interrupted him before he could go on. "Stop with your stories, we must change course!"

"We will not change course until we retrieve the girl." Iroh replied calmly.

"Who cares about the girl? The avatar is close, this is the first we've seen of him in three years, uncle."

"I care about the girl. We will not change course before she is saved."

Zuko looked incredulously at his uncle. "This is not your ship, I make the decisions!"

"You will not change the course of this ship." Iroh answered.

Zuko cried out in frustration. "The avatar is more important than a girl!"

"Do not take that tone with me Zuko."

"Uncle, this is my honor, this could make the difference between my return and my taking my rightful place as Fire Lord." Zuko bit back.

"We will rescue the girl, and then chase the avatar." Iroh finalized firmly.

Zuko merely spun on his heel in answer and stalked off, his boots clanging against the deck harshly. His fists had begun to smoke and he knew he would have started blowing things up if he hadn't left.

He easily could override any command his uncle gave, but he honestly couldn't afford to lose the old man's good graces and wisdom. He may be the most annoying person on earth but Iroh had won many battles and his advice was often sound. He was also a powerful bender and Zuko had learned much from him, no matter how lazy the man seemed.

Zuko hurried away from the scene and ended up leaning against the wall several yards away, seething inside. It would only be minutes now until they rescued the girl but each second felt like a century to the boy.

Finally, just when he was about to start screaming and throwing fireballs, the boat glided to a stand still in the semi-open water. He watched as one of the crew tied a thick rope around his waist and then was belayed down the side of the ship by two other men with arm muscles the size of bowling balls. He heard the two men grunt with more effort when, Zuko assumed, the man on the other end picked up the girl.

Within a minute the men had the rescuer and the rescuee at the edge of the deck and hands were reaching over to pull both people in. Someone handed a thick wool towel to the man who had rescued the girl and he wrapped it around himself where her wet clothes had soaked through his armor.

Iroh moved towards the girl and knelt beside her, grunting a bit as his back shifted painfully. He pressed two fingers to her neck and felt for a pulse.

"She's alive, but barely." He announced to the group. Zuko saw a few people nod in an attentive way and saw the ship's healer forcing his way through the crowd to kneel beside the girl's chest, but he hardly noticed. He was staring at the pale face of the girl.

She could be called pretty, although not at all the way a fire nation girl is. Her long dark hair was tangled and matted from the sea water and her face was tinged white. Her full lips were a deep shaded of purple-blue and he could see from his place by the wall that she was shivering violently now that she was exposed to the whipping wind of the arctic.

Zuko moved closer as people began to crowd his view. When he had finally pushed to the front of the circle he knelt beside his uncle taking in her violently shivering form and stiff limbs. She wasn't unclothed like he had thought, merely wearing clothing of a light material that was near to her skin color. Her light clothes however did nothing to hide the curves of her body or her long legs and after his quick glance down her body, Zuko focused on the healer. His eyes moved to her chest where the middle aged healer was pushing rhythmically to rid her body of whatever water may be in it. The man moved up and pushed the girl's mouth open further and blew a long breath between her parted lips, forcing her to inhale.

After pressing several more times on her chest, the girl suddenly let out two long gurgling coughs that wracked her body. From Zuko's place by her shoulder he could see water bubbling up in her mouth. Instinctively Zuko reached up, grabbed her shoulders firmly and flipped her half way so the water would spill out.

After several more coughs the healer nodded affirmation that she had coughed all the water up and Zuko gently rolled her over onto her back. Before he released her shoulders his gaze flicked to her face and his eyes widened with surprise when he saw her looking straight back at him; gold eyes meeting sapphire. And as suddenly as it had happened it was gone as her body slumped loosely into his hands once more and the striking eyes closed with a lazy blink.

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 **I hope you liked it! Please review if you enjoyed it, it really does help me update faster. *Gives puppydog eyes*. Btw, I will probably start making each chapter longer, we'll see, it will depend on how much you guys like it. Thank you so much for reading and have a wonderful day!**


	4. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! Sorry about the super long wait... I have no excuses. Luckily I do have quite a long chapter here.**

 **I would like to thank my wonderful beta** SimplyCliche **for her AMAZING help with this chapter and hopefully many more to come.**

 **Also a huge thank you to** ILovetoFly **,** Haruki-senpai **,** iheartmusicalot **,** The Punch Lord **, and** Otakugirl41 **for reviewing the last chapter, it means a lot!**

 **Thank you so much for R &R!**

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"I need some help here," The healer said quickly. He motioned to one of the men who had hauled the girl up.

"Azr, carry the girl to the infirmary room, if you would."

The tall, built man nodded and bent down. Zuko relinquished his grasp on the girl's shoulders as the larger man hoisted her up with ease. He hurried towards the lower decks, cradling the small girl to his chest. The healer then turned to look at Iroh.

"General Iroh, sir, I could use your expertise to warm the girl." He and Iroh were on good terms, and he hoped this request would not overstep his bounds.

"Of course, Kaizon," Iroh rumbled.

The healer nodded his thanks, hurrying off after the guard with Iroh trailing in his wake.

Zuko stood from his crouched position, watching the small group disappear around the corner of the ship. He was curious, he had to admit. He almost wanted to follow them and watch the proceedings **;** however **,** for one **,** he knew he would be in the way, besides that, it was possible he had sighted the avatar. That jolted him back to his senses **;** all thoughts of the girl drifted into a deep corner of his mind.

"Back to your stations!" The frozen air grew warm around him, his body radiating an angry heat. In a second the crew was at attention, backs ridged and eyes alert. They watched the young man with wary gazes.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" The golden eyed boy frowned, expectant. The group broke like the sand under a wave, every man and woman afraid of the prince's wrath.

"You there," A man, who was still standing idle, turned at the call; his nervousness transforming into a attentive stare in the blink of an eye.

"Inform the captain of our change of course. Three points south east."

The man inclined his head and ran off. Zuko nodded his approval and strode towards the front of the deck, feeling the ship's engine, floors beneath him, rumble to life once more. Their pace quickened, and Zuko knew where they were to head: the Southern Water Tribe.

...

Sokka watched as the supposed flying bison swam off into the ocean. He was in shock from everything that had transpired. In the span of an hour, he had lost his sister and stumbled upon the "dead" avatar. The kid had popped out of the iceberg after Sokka hit it a few times with his boomerang and proceeded to blast Sokka dry with a massive wind burst that nearly knocked him off the ice. The short, bald kid - Aang, Sokka thought his name was - had then asked if the older boy had wanted to go penguin sliding, but he could hardly register the words before the kid swam off with his bison. Sokka couldn't remember the short walk to his village, his mind numb. He walked towards the meager looking collection of homes where he could see the short wall mounted around the city and his watch tower. He stumbled through the opening in the wall, searching for his gran gran. When he found her, she was crouched over a fire in her igloo.

"Gran Gran," Sokka murmured, stepping into the warm space.

The aging woman turned to her grandson, a wide smile forming on her weathered face.

"How was the fishing **,** Sokka?" She indicated that he should sit on the pelt beside her.

Sokka didn't move, standing stock still. Gran Gran frowned a bit, concerned at the lack of enthusiasm in her grandson. The boy's top knot was disheveled, pieces of hair falling down and framing his paling face.

"Where is Katara? She needs to help with the washing," Gran Gran stirred the sea prune soup simmering over the flames.

"Katara... She-" His voice broke and he looked away from the elderly woman's searching gaze.

"Where is your sister?" Her tone was more firm this time.

"She- Katara she-, I lost her gran gran," Sokka choked on the words. He was doing everything in his power to not cry.

Concern was written all over the aged face, she had only just noticed the coat gripped in Sokka's mittens. "What do you mean?"

"We got caught up in some rapids and we wrecked the canoe, then we started arguing, and Katara got mad and she started bending, and she broke an iceberg. It broke and made this huge wave, and I couldn't hold onto her Gran Gran. I couldn't hold on..." Sokka hurried through the story, turning watery eyes on his grandmother.

"Where is she?" The woman stepped closer to her grandson, her breathing heavy.

"I lost her, she's gone," The tears threatened to fall from his eyes, and he dashed them away with his hand, "She's gone and it's all my fault." His shoulder's slumped forward and he fell to his knees, dropping the coat.

The older woman knelt beside him, pulling him into the first hug they had shared in years. She could see he had already beaten himself up more than she ever could berate him, and now was not the time. His tears began to fall unheeded, wetting the woman's shoulder. He buried his face into her neck. He had not been held this way since he was a young child, not since the raid that had stolen his mother from him. Gran Gran's arms were wrapped tight around her sobbing grandson, her own eyes leaking tears that fell into Sokka's hair.

...

"Place her there," Kaizon pointed towards a table nearest the cabinets on the wall.

Azr stepped towards the waist height platform. It was covered in a thin red sheet, and when he laid his precious cargo down he was careful to not let her head smash against the wood; she didn't need any more health complications.

"That will be all Azr, thank you," Kaizon was a flurry of activity around the room, opening cupboards to find blankets and medicines.

The taller man gave a small salute and exited the room, closing the door behind him. Kaizon began fidgeting with the girl's appendages, laying her body out flat. The healer stepped to the side, allowing Iroh to stand by the girl's head.

"We need to raise her internal temperature, sir." Kaizon mixed a small bowl of dried herbs as he spoke.

Iroh nodded, thinking over the process. "I will do it in short bursts, so I don't boil her insides. I will need you to tell me when to stop."

Kaizon moved to stand at the end of the table, where he could place his hands on the girl's head. Iroh pressed his hands together, breathing deeply. He stayed in that position for several moments, focusing his energy to his palms. He leaned over the girl, placing his hands gently on the center of her chest. The cold was radiating off of her in waves, hitting Iroh like a wall. The firebender let a small breath out and felt the warmth travel through him, filling every part of him with a heat that he only experienced when bending. It ran the length of his body, bouncing around inside him, trying to escape. The old man channeled the energy, feeling it move through his body to travel down his arms and build up in his hands. One more breath and then he let the heat transfer from his hands to the girl's chest. The heat moved through her body, gently touching her organs and the frostiest places in her body. Kaizon nodded confirmation to go on; although it was slight, her internal temperature had raised. Iroh released another bout of the heat, directing it through her chest to her heart and vitals. He stepped down to the end of the table and found her feet covered in thick woolen socks that had ice crystals formed on them. The man remove them gingerly and then held her chilled feet in his hands, heating them till he could no longer detect a trace of cold in the appendages. From there he moved to her hands, clasping the small hands in his large calloused ones. The healer directed him as they worked, pointing out where to warm her next, working slowly and methodically.

It was quite some time later as Iroh left the girl's bedside that he felt the ship grinding through ice before coming to a hard stop. The general picked up the sound of the ship's door opening and falling to the ground and **,** as he walked through the passages **,** he felt the cold air rushing through the metal ship. He walked to the gaping hole now in the front of the ship where the ramp had descended from. The wizened man stood in the shadows, watching the proceedings below him.

Zuko stood before a small crowd of trembling dark faces wreathed in fluffy white fur and blue hoods. The majority of the people were children, clinging tight to mother's legs. The rest of the group was made up of middle aged women and a few men well past their expiration date. Fear shone in the deep blue eyes, but so too did anger. These people were hardened by a pain and suffering not many had endured, and it had left them stronger and more united because of it.

The prince strode closer to the tribes people, his nose turned up as if he was better than the lot of them combined. His lips curled at the smell of boiling sea prune stew. The firebender's disdain couldn't have been more blatantly displayed.

The warrior stalked closer to a boy, about his age, who stood at the front of the group. The brunet looked detached, as if he was hardly registering what was going on.

"I know you're hiding him here," Zuko got into the other man's space, moving till they were only inches apart. He seemed to be the only grown man in the whole tribe.

The water tribe boy's eyebrow raised, "What're you talking about?"

"The avatar, we know you're hiding him here. We saw him heading towards this tribe."

The dark face was full of confusion.

"What?"

Fire flared from Zuko's palms, turning the snow around him to puddles. He extinguished the flames in his one hand and yanked an old woman from the crowd. She stumbled, letting out a quiet cry of pain as her ankle rolled. He held the back of her coat in a vice-like grip, keeping a flame by the woman's weathered face as a threat.

The blue eyed boy stiffened, standing up straighter as his bright eyes narrowed. His mouth moved in what looked like _Gran Gran._ Zuko smirked. Leverage.

"Let her go, you maniac!" The boy looked ready to tear him apart,

"He would be about this old, wrinkled and disgusting," Zuko ignored the demand.

The tall boy yelled, making a move to pull a knife on him. Zuko smiled and the flame flared brighter. The brunet stopped dead in his tracks.

"That's what I thou-" Zuko was stopped by a sudden blow to the head that knocked his helmet off and left his ears ringing. He shoved the old woman to the ground and whipped around, searching for his attacker. There was no one near enough to have hit him. Then he saw it **:** a small boy riding on a penguin slid in from the top of a small hill.

"I think you're looking for me," The boy jumped up from his place on creature's back. The rather large penguin waddled off, and the kid watched it go with a wistful look. When the animal had walked out of the immediate area of danger, the short kid approached the prince, wielding a staff before him.

They circled each other **,** taking the other in. The water tribe boy that Zuko assumed was the lady's grandson had dropped to his knees to assist the old woman, helping her stand up and leading her away from the front of the group. Zuko looked the small boy up and down. He was tiny, and couldn't be more than twelve, if that. He wore the robes of the airbenders, but there was no way... was there?

"You're the avatar?" Zuko choked over the words.

The boy opened his arms wide, gesturing to himself. "The one and only!"

A collective gasp rang from the tribe, jaws dropping open and brows raising.

When Zuko thought about the event later, he couldn't be quite sure how he knew the kid wasn't lying, it wasn't the robes that confirmed Zuko's suspicions, or even the display of bending, it was the child's eyes; they held a knowledge far beyond his years. Somehow Zuko knew he wouldn't be able to win this fight playing fair.

Zuko narrowed his good eye at the bald kid. With a scream he punched fire at the child. Unfortunately **,** the kid deflected it easily with his staff, spinning the long pole till the flame dispersed. The kid responded with a huge gust of wind that made Zuko topple backwards. His men formed a circle around the boy, trying to catch him off guard and burn him. Zuko could see from his place on the ground that the boy was trying his best to shield the tribespeople from the flames. His men were falling down around him, blown back by a ring of wind from the boy. The firebender jumped up, flames rolling off his arms and melting the snow from his armour.

"Come with me peaceably or I burn them all!" Zuko turned so that he was facing towards the tribes people. His men rose one by one, taking his lead and making a ring around the tribe with fire blazing. The avatar's eyes widened **;** Zuko could see the defeat in his eyes.

"If I go with you, will you leave them alone?" The kid had to look up to meet Zuko's gaze, but he managed to make the firebender feel small and insignificant.

The prince nodded

"Aang," The brunet warned, pushing back to the front of the small crowd and grabbing the much shorter boy's arm.

"Sokka, let me go," The avatar pried himself from the tight grasp.

With a strange reluctance the older boy, Sokka, released him.

Aang stepped towards Zuko, head held high. "Let's go," he muttered.

"Bind him," Zuko was trying his best to contain his glee.

One of his soldiers stepped forward, a length of rope in his arms. Another took the avatar's staff while the first got to work tying the boy's arms securely behind his back.

"Come on. I'm going home," Zuko led his crew up the ramp. His voice was filled with disbelief **;** after three years **,** he was finally going home. He could see his uncle standing in the shadows of the door and another figure was running up from one of the corridors.

"Master Kaizon sent me, Prince Zuko **."** The man was out of breath, doing his best to stand straight before his prince.

"What is it?" Zuko was not really paying attention as he watched his soldiers lead the avatar to a holding cell. The massive door behind him was closing and he was so incredibly happy. When the next words were uttered he looked up at the soldier with interest.

"The girl is awake."

...

Katara woke to red, red everywhere. She wondered if she had died and had gone to the underworld for some unforgivable deed she had done. The girl's eyelids were heavy with sleep and she tried to lift her hand to her forehead but found it to be a dead weight. Her eyes opened wide, and with panic, she focused on the fire nation insignia on the wall opposite where she lay. The brunette felt two hands rest gently on her shoulders. She turned her head and could see a man there. He looked to be middle aged with kindly eyes, but he was fire nation for sure, black hair framed a pale face with reddish brown eyes. He wore a tunic of burnt red and trousers of charcoal gray. Katara tried to get up, tried to run. She struggled, but the gentle weight of the man's hands was enough to keep her feeble body down.

"Calm down dear. Calm down. You're okay, I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was soothing and low. Her beating heart raced faster as she realized with a start that she was unclothed. Her nude body was covered in a light red sheet. At some point someone had stripped her of her underclothes and that fueled her terror more. Katara couldn't move, not even if she had wanted to. She was so weak. The girl forced herself to calm down; her quick breathing was making her light headed. The man seemed nice, maybe he was being honest and wasn't going to hurt her.

How had she ended up in the fire nation? Last thing she remembered was getting swept off the ice floe with Sokka...

Sokka! Where did he go? The panic began to build again. She hadn't seen him on the ice floe. He was dead, surely he was dead and it was all her fault. Tears filled her eyes and threatened to fall. She didn't care, what did it matter if this man saw her cry? She clenched her eyes shut and turned her head as far away from the man as she could.

The tears streamed down her face in a torrent. The blue eyed could hear the man muttering, possibly trying to reassure her she was safe. He had removed his hands from her shoulders and she thought she could hear him open some kind of door and tell someone something. Katara couldn't be sure. She lay flat on the table, the tears flowing freely. Her brother was dead and it was her fault and now she had been captured by the fire nation surely to be killed or raped or tortured. All she could do was pray for a quick death as she mourned her brother.

...

Zuko made sure the avatar was locked up tight before he considered visiting the girl. For some strange reason he felt compelled to go. It had been several days since the girl had woken, and every day he found some excuse as to why he wouldn't visit her. He couldn't keep his curiosity at bay any longer.

He walked down the halls, shoulders stiff. He came to the door of the infirmary, where a guard was stationed to be sure the prisoner didn't try to escape. The soldier stood to attention, straightening up and avoiding eye contact with the prince. Zuko raised an eyebrow at the guard. Getting the message, the guard tapped on the door. A male voice gave permission for entrance, and the guard pushed open the door to let Zuko enter the familiar room.

He had visited the infirmary a few too many times to be proud of. Sparring didn't always go as expected, and if he was honest with himself, his technique needed some serious work. The medium sized room was simple, reddish walls housing a few tables and cupboards filled with medicinal supplies. On one side of the room were two cots and a table.

The girl was on the table. She lay flat on her back, dark hair splayed around her, looking to be asleep. Kaizon stepped forward.

The man bowed respectfully when his lord entered, "Prince Zuko **.** "

"I thought she was awake," Zuko wasn't going to sit around and wait for the dark skinned girl to wake up.

"She is awake, merely unresponsive." Kaizon answered. "She hasn't said a word, and I've only managed to dribble broth into her."

The scarred face scrunched up, "Well what's wrong with her?"

"She seems to be experiencing some sort of mental trauma or panic. I can't be entirely sure. She freaked when she first woke, hasn't opened her eyes or made a sound since."

Zuko groaned. His uncle wanted him to ask her some questions **;** he only wanted to be rid of her.

"Well, is there anything we can do?"

Kaizon shrugged in response. "Nothing I know."

Zuko scowled and stalked over to the prone form of the girl. She seemed to be trying to curl in on herself **,** but she couldn't. Zuko flicked his eyes down over her body, becoming acutely aware of her lack of clothing. The light weight sheet did little to hide anything, and the deep red of the fabric accentuated her chocolaty hair.

"What happened to her clothes?" The prince asked, glancing back at the healer with a raised brow.

Kaizon opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by a moan from the girl.

"What did she say?" The healer moved to stand at Zuko's side.

"It sounded like-"

"S-so-kka!" The girl coughed out.

"Like that." Zuko muttered.

"Her nasal passages are clogged, a buildup of mucus from the cold," Kaizon watched the red sheet rise and fall with the girl's labored breath. "She may be having troubles speaking due to it."

Zuko took the information in silently.

"Odd, how she seemed to respond to your voice," Kaizon looked up at the prince, his shoulder's lifting in a shrug, "Maybe you sound like this Sokka character."

The younger man frowned. Where had he heard that name before? He tried to remember, but it wasn't coming. It frustrated him.

"Would you try speaking to her, prince Zuko?"

Zuko mulled over the proposition. Normally he wouldn't give a second thought to an unimportant prisoner **;** however **,** something about this girl, something about the way her eyes had met his, made him care. And that was something he hadn't done in three years.

"Hey... uh..." Zuko paused. What do you say to a half dead girl? Not to mention the fact that she was basically naked and this healer was standing over his shoulder watching him intently. He hated appearing stupid before this man.

"Uhm." Zuko stared at her, at a loss for words. "So you were in-" Zuko paused mid sentence as the girl's eyelids fluttered. Both men watched her, curious. Zuko noticed that her fingers were curling and uncurling.

Kaizon gripped her hand, providing reassurance, "You're safe, lass,"

The dark eyelids fluttered open, revealing the girl's beautiful blue eyes, confusion evident in them.

She mumbled a few incoherent sentences until one finally came out clear, "So-kka? Wh-where?"

"What?" The older man bent over, trying to pick up what she was saying.

The deep blue eyes turned to Kaizon, and the fear that the healer had seen earlier filled them once more. Zuko could hear her breath pick up, and her eyes began flicking around the room, from him, to the healer, to the walls where they lingered on the fire nation emblem.

A harsh, rattling cough wracked the girl's body, "P-p-please,"

"She did this the first time she woke," The physician reached out to test her temperature.

The girl's eyes grew wider, and she pressed herself into the table in a feeble attempt to get away from him. Kaizon got her to be still long enough for him to lay his hand on her forehead. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips. She was burning up. He moved to check her pulse, and the girl began wriggling, trying to scoot off the table. When he laid his fingers on her neck she began throwing her weight to the side trying to get away from the men. She was nearing the edge of the table and Kaizon lifted his hands off her. Her pulse was racing, her body unable to take so much exertion after what it had been through.

Zuko watched from behind the healer with wide girl's actions scared him. He had seen soldiers traumatized by the war; they had reacted in much the same way. She was still flailing, trying to get as far as possible from the two of them despite her stiff limbs. Zuko wracked his brain for what had calmed the soldiers down. When he remembered, a strange calm settled over him. He knew what to do, something he remembered from a happier time long ago.

Zuko looked down at the shorter man, "Leave us," He would never let his crew see him be soft on a prisoner.

"But my lord, she is in need of-"

Zuko turned on the man, his voice a menacing whisper, "I said leave,"

Kaizon straightened a fraction of an inch.

"Yes, prince Zuko." The man bowed. "I will be outside if you need anything."

Zuko glared at him for emphasis and the healer hurried out.

The firebender turned back to the girl, she was watching him with wide eyes, trying to figure out what was going on. He stepped closer and grabbed the girl's small hand in his own. It was cold despite the warm interior of the ship. She tried to pull out of his grasp, but Zuko held it firm. He took care to keep his touch gentle and, with a deep breath, he sent a pulse of warmth from his body to her's. Soft words fell from his mouth, nonsensical, just comforting murmurs of reassurance.

It felt like hours before he felt the constant pull from the girl begin to lessen; eventually, it stopped all together. Her eyes grew softer, became content. It came to the point where she was gripping his hand back, keeping him rooted there. It felt good in a strange way, Zuko mused. He hadn't had this kind of physical contact in many many years. They were just two people who didn't know each other, holding on to the other for a sense of reality.

Zuko was terrified about going back to face his father. He had gone through every possible way that the Avatar could, and given his luck, probably would, escape. He would lose the boy and be left to live the rest of his life in exile. And, if by some miracle, he made it back home and delivered the avatar to his father, who could say that his father would welcome him back? His father had never told him how to regain his honor; he was playing a guessing game.

He had been closer with his uncle, back before the banishment. Now, facing the old man was harder than anything. Iroh always seemed to be judging him, taking note of everything that he did wrong. Zuko couldn't handle it anymore and shut him out. He stopped sharing things with him, and now he regretted it, regretted it near as much as he regretted speaking up at that war council. He missed the old man's kind words, words which had begun to decrease in number after years of merciless bashing from his nephew.

Zuko looked down at the girl, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. The girl's eyes were closed and her grip was loose. How long had it been?

A soft knock sounded at the door, interrupting him. With a jerk he pulled away and dropped her hand. He distanced himself from her and coughed out permission to enter. Kaizon stood in the open door, eyeing him with concern, gaze flicking between him and the girl.

Zuko's eyes went from those of an innocent boy to a hardened leader in a fraction of a second. He glared at the man and stalked out of the room, his shoulders rolling back and his head held high.

* * *

 **Hope you liked it! It would mean a lot if you'd review!**

 **Have a fantastic day.**


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